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What Hammersmith Books authors recommend for National Reading Day

In honour of National Reading Day on 23rd January, we’re very pleased to share recommendations from Hammersmith Books authors about the books they loved best when growing up, or that got them reading.

 

Frances Ive, author of One Step Ahead of Osteoarthritis, says: ‘I am going to say: Alice in Wonderland, which I loved so much that it got my imagination going. I think Peter Pan and all Enid Blyton books (especially The Famous Five) did the same.’

 

Craig Robinson, author most recently of The Energy Equation with Sarah Myhill, says: ‘Red Shift by Alan Garner. Do read it – all in one sitting! And then leave it and read it again! I have now read it about 8 times (last year being the most recent)… and each time I feel something new……achingly new.’

 

Caroline Freedman, author of The Scoliosis Handbook, says ‘My favourite childhood book way ahead of any other is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Flemming. I used to wait for my father every evening to come home from work and read to me. I must have been about 3 or 4 years old as I can remember sitting in our old family home in Wembley waiting for him. The most exciting part in the book for me and one I would make him repeat over and over again, in a funny and scary voice, is the line…”These guns belong to Joe the Monster”. We would then discuss the story and what we thought might happen just so I could stay up as long as possible.’

 

Raymond Perrin, author of The Perrin Technique, says: ‘My favourite 2 books as a child were All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot and My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. I loved animals and wanted to be a vet or own a zo, so definitely recommend these two if any child has the same dreams.‘

 

Trevor Griffiths, co-author of forthcoming Emotional Logic (May 2021) says: ‘For National Reading Day, [co-author] Marian’s first choice is Black Beauty. Mine is Swallows and Amazons. This feels timely, because an 8-year-old granddaughter who is a fast reader is running out of ideas.’

 

Magnolia Cardona, author of forthcoming When the Time Comes: stories from the end of life (March 2021) says: I can’t really remember THE first book that gave me the love of reading but one of the early ones was The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

I couldn’t have enough of it and read it in three languages over the course of my primary school. However, to get today’s children reading passionately I would highly recommend Matilda by Roald Dahl.

This little book got my daughter reading 10 books per week (she was the public library’s best customer!), and she later moved to another one I highly recommend: George’s Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy and Stephen Hawking (and the rest of George’s series). That book collection led her to join the local astronomy club for years until end of high school.’

 

Sarah Russell, author of The Bowel Cancer Recovery Toolkit, says: ‘The first book that made an impact on me was the Sports Nutrition Guidebook by Nancy Clark. Even as a young girl I had an interest in health, exercise and nutrition. I used to read and re-read this book over and over again.’

 

Sandra Hood, author of the forthcoming Feeding Your Vegan Child (June 2021), says: ‘My recommendation for National Reading Day has to be The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I remember reading this at school and borrowing it from the book cupboard. I had to write my name in a book that was 

hung up on a string with a pencil attached. You felt like you could go into this wonderful world just through the wardrobe and meet lovely Mr Tumnus at the lamppost and being offered Turkish delight from the witch in a sleigh – magical!’

Antonina Mikocka-Walus, author of IBD and the Gut-Brain Connection, says ‘Too many books to choose the favourite, but The Six Bullerby Children by Astrid Lindgren (author of Pippi Longstocking) was probably one of the first I read myself rather than being read to me by my parents.’

 

Susan Koten, author of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Giardia, says: ‘I loved reading Just William by Richmal Crompton.’

 

Martyn Hooper, author most recently of Five-a-Day Plus One: the Vitamin B12 Cookbook, says: ‘My love of books started with Enid Blyton, especially the Secret Series and particularly the Secret of Moon Castle. The books were readily available in my primary school library and we were actively encouraged to take a book home over the weekend. But, I soon tired of the plots that started to sound far too similar. And it was when I was around 10 years old that my grandfather gave me my first proper book; it was a thick hardback complete with a dustcover showing a one-legged pirate, propped up by a crutch looking dangerous, mean and foreboding. A golden hoop earring hung from his left ear. From page one I was not only captivated by the characters but also capitulated into the 18th Century world of Pirates. There was talk of Buried Treasure. Black Spots and Mutiny all centred around a parade of wonderful characters somehow related to Captain Flint and his old shipmate Long John Silver. There was Billy Bones, Black Dog, Blind Pew and Jim Hawkins. And the wonderfully eccentric, intelligent and cheese-loving (toasted mostly) Ben Gunn. It was Treasure Island that led to my first and last nightmare, but none of the above was responsible. It was the cruel, frightening, stealthy and sly Israel Hands who chased me, and Jim Hawkins, up one of the Hispaniola’s masts with a large knife held between his teeth.

 

Mary Jordan, author most recently of The ‘D’ Word: Rethinking Dementia, says: ‘When I was very young I read a lot of Enid Blyton. I have no idea why she is so frowned upon. She used good clear English and wrote stuff that kept you reading. However, probably the book I would nominate would be The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, together with the other Narnia books.’

 

Julie Sullivan, author of The Gallstone-friendly Diet, says: ‘Two books are responsible for my early love of reading – Watership Down by Richard Adams, and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis.’

 

Jo Waters, co-author of What’s Up With Your Gut?, says: ‘I loved Noel Streatfield’s Ballet Shoes , which my mother had loved as a child too . It was about the Fossil family, Pauline, Petrova and Posy, who were all very talented and lived in London and had been adopted by an (absent) professor who was away fossil hunting and were cared for by a nanny. They were left to their own devices a lot and I liked the sound of that . After that I read all her books and joined the Puffin Book Club and ordered a book every month. It was really Ballet Shoes that kicked off a lifelong love of reading.’

 

Clarissa Foster, author of Understanding BRCA, says: ‘My first favourite book was The Famous Five novel series by Enid Blyton. I first read them when I was around 8 years old and couldn’t put them down!’

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How not to be blue this Blue Monday

Blog post written by Lynn Crilly, author of the Hope with Mental Health series. 

The third Monday of every January has been named ‘Blue Monday’; the theory behind this is that this time of year is when it is cold, we find ourselves stuck with credit card bills and less money, our New Year’s resolutions (if we have made them) have often already failed or are not going to plan which creates an element of guilt and we are just not feeling our best. This year, in the UK we have the added anxiety of being in a lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I would like to help you to feel more positive and hopeful this January and to feel more optimistic about what the now has to offer and what the future holds. Below are some – I hope – helpful ways to change how you think and to turn some of the ‘blue’ negative thinking into positive.

At the moment we are all looking at updates on the news about the COVID-19 pandemic, which are often quite depressing and rarely the good news we are hoping for. Instead, try to look for the good news that is going on in the world. Whilst writing this blog I came across a website that focuses on good news only: Good News Network. Take some time to learn all the positives that are happening around us. Dwelling on the negative will keep you stuck in a dark place.

We all have a way of thinking we can predict the future; even though we have no idea what will happen tomorrow, we still like to predict the doom and gloom scenarios we think are going to happen. When we imagine negative scenarios, whether it is about the current pandemic or a work meeting, this negative ‘guessing game’ can turn into a self-fulfilling prediction if we are not careful. Focus on the now. If you want to look to the future, look at the positive scenarios that could happen rather than the negative.

This last tip might be the hardest to achieve but, once you nail it, it is the key to a more positive outlook, replacing negative with more realistic and motivating thoughts. This can inspire you to create the kind of life you want to live. For example, instead of thinking to yourself, ‘at this rate I will never be able to afford my own place’, this negative thought could be replaced with, ‘I am unsure of what the future holds, but if I make a clear savings plan, it is possible I may be able to afford my own place.’

I do hope these simple but effective changes can help to create a more optimistic mindset, for you or someone you know who may be struggling with Anxiety or Depression. You can learn more about these mental illnesses and ways to cope in my books Hope with Anxiety and Hope with Depression.

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A Low-Carb Christmas

Blog post written by Hanna Purdy, author of Could it be Insulin Resistance?

As you know, 2020 has been a very challenging and eye-opening year for most of us. This year has made many of us realise how important maintaining a healthy lifestyle is in keeping us physically and mentally healthy and our immune functions strong. However, staying consistent with a healthy diet during the holiday season is, of course, a challenge. This is because most people believe that keeping healthy during Christmas means that they’re missing out on the festivity, as food contributes largely to what makes us feel “Christmassy”. It may be tempting to put your diet plan on hold and enjoy different desserts and beverages, but it’s important to know that neglecting this lifestyle for the entirety of the holiday season could make you easily relapse into unhealthy habits, making it very hard to return to the consistency maintained before.

The thought of eating healthier in the holiday season probably makes most people feel disappointed, as many believe that eating healthy is no fun at all, and a definite no during a celebratory season. However, this is not the case. Healthy eating can, indeed, be Christmassy too, contrary to the popular belief that sugary, high carb foods are essential in the “Christmas spirit”. It is important to detach yourself from this mainstream belief, as it simply isn’t true.

My family and I plan our menu for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day well in advance. We cook and bake everything ourselves, which is, for us, a central part of Christmas as it is so enjoyable and really sets in the mood. One of the biggest differences between unhealthy and healthy foods specifically on Christmas (in my experience) is the impact they have on the way I feel both mentally and physically. Eating healthier makes me feel fresh, energetic and happy, whereas eating high carb, sugary foods has the opposite effect. This is how many people stick to a healthier diet and integrate it into their lifestyle, especially during Christmas, because they notice the impact it has and how much more enjoyable it makes Christmas feel.

Staying healthy is now more important than ever. If you are following a low carbohydrate diet in order to reverse insulin resistance, know that just because it means you need to stay healthy over the holiday season, doesn’t mean it will not be “Christmassy”. You may notice that food tastes better when there are no excess carbohydrates and sugar and, like I mentioned before, will leave you feeling great.

I have come up with a few recipes for you to try over Christmas. The side dishes below complement turkey or any other main course you choose to have. I have also come up with sweeter recipes with no added sugar. Of course, all recipes are perfectly suitable for those suffering with insulin resistance.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

Appetisers

Prawn salad

For 6

  • 250g prawns
  • 400g crème fraiche
  • 1 red pepper, finely cut
  • 1 boiled egg, finely cut
  • 1-2 tbsp mustard
  • juice of 1 lime
  • pepper
  • fresh dill

Mix the crème fraiche, egg, pepper, mustard, pepper and lime juice in a bowl, add the prawns and chopped dill.

 

Smoked salmon appetisers

For 6

  • 200g smoked salmon, cut into bite size pieces
  • 250 cream cheese
  • 50g sour cream or crème fraiche
  • handful of chopped fresh dill
  • squeeze of lemon juice
  • salt
  • pepper
  • iceberg lettuce for serving

Mix all the ingredients apart from the lettuce in a bowl. Serve on a small lettuce leaf.

Chicken liver pâté

For 6

  • 400g chicken livers
  • 2 tbsp Brandy
  • 300g unsalted butter, diced
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 2 small shallots, finely chopped
  • 0.5 tsp dried thyme
  • 0,5 tsp grated nutmeg
  • salt
  • pepper

Gently cook the shallots and grated garlic in a pan with about 30-40g of the butter, until lightly soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the livers and cook for a further 4-5 minutes, until the livers are slightly brown on the outside. Add the Brandy and stir, then add the remaining butter and the thyme and nutmeg. Place then into the bowl of the food processor and pulse until smooth. Alternatively you can use a blender. Season with salt and pepper. Place into servicing bowl or a terrine dish. If you like, you can top this with 50g of melted butter or clarified butter(ghee). Cover with cling film and place into the fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.

Pickled onions

  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 100g cranberries (or lingonberries if available)
  • 100ml apple cider vinegar
  • 100ml water
  • pinch of salt

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and leave to marinate in the fridge for 1-2 days.

 

Side Dishes

Brussel sprouts

For 6

  • 500g Brussel sprouts, trimmed and the outer leaves removed
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3-4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, chopped
  • few leaves of fresh sage, chopped
  • olive oil
  • knob of butter

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan and cook the bacon until golden, add the onion and sage, turn the heat down and cook for 5-10 minutes until the onion is soft. Place the  Brussel sprouts in a sauce pan with boiling water, boil for 5 minutes until just tender. Drain and then add to the bacon and onion mixture. Add a knob of butter and season.

 

Steamed red cabbage

  • 500g red cabbage
  • 2 tbsp butter or goose fat
  • 1 cooking apple
  • 500ml apple juice
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Cut the cabbage into think slices. Melt the fat in a large skillet or sauce pan, add the cabbage, chopped apple and the liquids. Bring to boil and simmer on low heat under a lid for 1-2 hours until the liquid has evaporated

Roasted swede wedges

  • 0.5-1 swede
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • dried rosemary
  • dried thyme
  • paprika

Peel and trim the swede and cut into bite size wedges or cubes. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the wedges evenly onto an oven pan lined with baking paper. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until tender and golden brown. Season well.

 

Roasted butternut squash

For 6

  • 2 small or 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into bite size chunks
  • 1 red onion, cut into wedges
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 tbsp mustard
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • handful of fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, place the vegetables into an oven pan lined with baking paper. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and tender. Mix together the mustard, vinegar and 1 tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the squash. Garnish with chopped parsley.

 

Red cabbage salad

For 6

  • 500g red cabbage, sliced thinly
  • 1 apple, cut into small cubes
  • 5 tbsp lingonberries or cranberries
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • sprinkle of ground clove

Mix the cabbage and apple. In a separate bowl mix together the berries, vinegar and olive oil. Season and add to the cabbage. Mix well, keep in the fridge for 2 days before serving. This will keep fresh in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

 

Desserts

Christmas chocolates

  • 100 ml cacao butter, usually available in health shops
  • 3 tbsp creamed coconut
  • 100 ml cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup or a pinch of stevia according to your taste
  • vanilla according to taste
  • pinch of salt
  • 50g chopped almonds
  • 10g dried berries of your choice
  • small handful of other nuts if you like

Very carefully melt the cacao butter and creamed coconut in a sauce pan, avoid the mixture from getting too hot. Cool down, add the cocoa powder through a sieve, add the vanilla and some salt, mixing well. Mix in any berries or nuts, pour the mixture over a baking sheet and let it set in room temperature for 2-3 hours. Then cut or break into smaller pieces. Alternatively you can pour the warm mixture into chocolate moulds and cool in the fridge for an hour.

Chocolate truffles

  • 300ml coconut cream
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • 200g dark chocolate (over 70% cocoa)
  • vanilla extract
  • cinnamon
  • cocoa powder
  • shredded coconut

Warm the coconut cream carefully in a small saucepan . In another pan, carefully melt the chocolate and coconut oil. Add the warm coconut cream. Add vanilla and mix carefully. Let the mixture cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Once set, have small amounts of cinnamon, cocoa powder and shredded coconut ready on a plate, either mixed or in separate small piles. Then take small spoonfuls of the chocolate mixture or if difficult, form small balls with your hands, and roll them in the cinnamon, cocoa powder and/or shredded coconut and then place on the serving dish. You can also use ground nuts or ground dried berries to make different kinds of truffles.

Spicy ginger cake

  • 4 egg whites
  • 4 egg yolks
  • stevia
  • 200ml double cream
  • 150g butter
  • 150ml ground almonds
  • 150ml coconut flour
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground all spice
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 tsp baking powder

Melt the butter, and let it cool. In a separate bowl, mix all the dried ingredients. In another bowl whisk the egg whites and cream. Add the cooled butter and the yolks. Then add the dried ingredients carefully. Pour the mixture into a greased cake tin and bake in a pre-heated oven, in 170 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with clotted cream.

 

Frozen berry dessert

For 4

  • 400ml any frozen berries; red currants, black currants, blueberries and/or raspberries
  • 3 leaves of gelatine
  • 1 drop vanilla extract
  • 400ml double cream
  • dark chocolate for decoration

Place the gelatine leaves into a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes until they are soft.  Place the berries into a small saucepan and gently heat for 10 minutes. Use a blender to make them into a berry sauce. Add the soft gelatine and vanilla. Whip the cream and then carefully mix into the berries. Divide between 4 dessert bowls and put into the fridge to set. They will be ready in 2 hours. Serve with some whipped cream and decorated with a piece of dark chocolate.

Chocolate mousse

For 4-5

  • 200g good quality dark chocolate (real chocolate so cacao butter, NO vegetable fats)
  • 500 ml double cream
  • 2 eggs

Carefully melt the chocolate and let it cool. Add the eggs, mix well. Then add the cream and mix until well combined. Divide between 4-5 dessert bowls and let it set in a fridge for 1-2 hours.

 

Drinks

Mulled apple drink

For 6-8

  • 1l apple juice
  • 3 star aniseeds
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Put the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to boil.  Turn off the heat, cover the saucepan with a lid and leave for 1-2 hours. Remove the start aniseeds and cinnamon stick and re-heat the drink. Serve warm.

 

Mulled wine

For 4-6

  • bottle of red or white wine
  • 1 tsp cloves
  • pinch of ground ginger
  • pinch of bitter orange peel (if available)
  • 1-2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 star aniseed
  • 1 tsp cardamom
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the ingredients in a sauce pan, on a low to medium heat, for 5-10 minutes. Avoid bringing to a boil. You can add a little honey or maple syrup if you prefer to bring in more sweetness.

 

Good life and good food!

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Reporting Harm – The Development of New Vaccines

The development of new drugs, and especially new vaccines, is very much in the public eye at the moment. This development is hugely costly not least because most potential products have to be rejected during development as not sufficiently safe and/or effective – this means the successful products have to carry the costs of all the failures as well as their own. It also means that once a product has made it through to official approval and general use there is inevitably huge reluctance to find fault with it as long-term problems emerge – very few drugs and vaccines are withdrawn at this stage. This makes it particularly important that any one of us who experiences a problem with a drug or vaccine reports it so the side-effect/bad reaction/failure can become part of official statistics about the product.

The phases of drug development are…

  1. Discovery and development when bio-scientists look for likely candidates based on knowledge of human biology
  2. Preclinical (lab-based) research
  3. Clinical research (what we think of as ‘drug trials’ where efficacy, dosage, safety etc are assessed)
  4. Official review and approval for specific uses by the relevant national authority (e.g. FDA in the US; MHRA in the UK; HPRA in Ireland)
  5. Post-marketing surveillance and monitoring (‘pharmacovigilance’)

Those of us outside the industry can contribute to drug and vaccine safety and efficacy by taking part in clinical trials, if the opportunity arises, if we have a particular health problem or are prepared to act as healthy ‘control’ patients. However, ALL of us who receive any medication or vaccination can contribute to ongoing monitoring by reporting any negative effect. In the UK this is done via the Yellow Card system (there is a great article about the Yellow Card system on the website of Independent Living here). In the US, the FDA monitors adverse events that may occur related to receiving a vaccine through its Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

How many times have you, or someone you know, grumbled that a flu jab has given you a fever and a day or more off work? Or an asthma attack? Or that an antibiotic has had strange side effects, such as loss of hearing? Or that a statin has left you constantly weak and exhausted? But have you recorded the problem so that anybody who could take this into account knows? Just as we should exercise our right to vote, we need to exercise our right to speak out about the ill effects of health products – and the Yellow Card system applies not just to drugs and vaccines but medical devices (e.g. implants) and equipment (e.g. hearing aids which are often overly complicated for those to whom they are sold) too. With the roll-out of a number of brand new vaccines developed at unprecedented speed we must not be complacent or keep problems to ourselves – it is time to exercise our pharmaco-vigilance!

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How The Beginner’s Guide to Sanity was co-produced

Blog post written by authors of The Beginner’s Guide to Sanity, Erica Crompton and Professor Stephen Lawrie. The Beginner’s Guide to Sanity has been shortlisted in the Non-Fiction category of The People’s Book Prize 2020/21. Click here to give it your vote. 

Our self-help guide for people with psychosis is, we believe, the first written by a doctor and a patient. In a review in Therapy Today our book is described as ‘the epitome of co-production’. Unlike some accounts of co-production in clinical or academic settings, we’ve come together on an even footing to write this – and even shared the advance equally. Here’s how we got started and created something we feel is equal in every way.

How we met

Erica: Stephen and I met at a conference in London titled ‘Schizophrenia: new routes to better outcomes’ in March 2014 where we were both speaking about our areas of interest regarding schizophrenia. It was my first conference and I attended in glittery tights.

I’d been invited to the event by a speaking agent in Sweden who approached me on Twitter. What made me stand out to her was my pro-medical stance on treatment for schizophrenia and my journalism about my experiences with this. I jumped at the chance to present at the conference and pre-recorded an interview with Elyn Saks for this too. It was while this was showing on a big screen to the packed auditorium, that Stephen came over to my table and introduced himself. He asked if maybe he could tempt me to give a lecture on the stigma I’d experienced as a result of my illness at the University of Edinburgh, where at the time he was Head of Psychiatry.

Stephen: We do a regular external speaker ‘Special Lecture’ slot in Psychiatry in Edinburgh and are always looking out for new speakers and topics. I have always admired Elyn Saks and the account of schizophrenia in her book The Centre Cannot Hold and remember Erica doing a great job of interviewing her.

How we got started

Erica: It’s been a life-goal of mine to write a book for as long as I can remember but a few things were holding me back – my inexperience writing long-form copy, and ‘getting it right’. I wanted to write about my experiences of psychosis but felt another voice (in particular a ‘sane voice’) would add weight to all that I could say.

There are a lot of other voices from people with experience of psychosis I could include too. Every piece I write about my own journey with illness usually means someone gets in touch on email or via social media who can relate. I hoped to include these people’s thoughts in a book, too.

It was his mix of seriously impressive clinical expertise but also approachability that inspired me to ask Stephen if he’d be interested in working with me on a book.

He’d already helped with many articles I’d written for newspapers and Stephen is always an utter pleasure to work with.

Stephen: Thanks and ditto! I had been wanting to write an accessible book about schizophrenia for a general audience for many years but hadn’t really appreciated the importance of getting the voice of lived experience until around the time I met Erica – and when I also attended an event for pitching ideas to agents, who told me the same thing.

The write-up

Erica: We used a shared Google Doc to write the book and both added content, and notes over the course of a year. During this time I learnt so much from Stephen that is helpful for me in managing my psychosis. As I get very little time with my own care team, reading everything Stephen thinks we should know about psychosis has answered many of the questions I’m left with after an appointment with my own psychiatrist.

Stephen: The writing was a shared and fairly dynamic process. I put in everything that I thought someone with schizophrenia or any other psychotic condition, and those who care for them, might want to know. I tried to keep it as simple as possible – and then had to make it even more so and easier to digest after feedback from Erica and others.  Erica brought the text to life with quotes from others and was remarkably open about her own experiences.

Twitter trashing

Erica: One thing that unnerved both of us was a potentially negative reception from the latter-day anti-psychiatry and anti-meds brigade on Twitter. However, we’ve been lucky enough to avoid that so far. I do think some of these prolific ‘pill shamers’ on Twitter – many with fancy psychology doctorates – may have some unpacked attention seeking issues of their own.

Stephen: Yes, I remember saying to a friend that Erica would probably ‘get shit’ for co-authoring a book with a psychiatrist which is unashamedly pro-diagnosis and pro-medication – and him being appalled to hear that. Maybe we have got away lightly so far  because we are also pro-many other ways of handing psychosis – or maybe it’s because it was genuinely co-produced – or maybe the abuse will kick off later on. Even if that happens, the positive feedback we’ve had from people who have been helped by our book is hugely encouraging.

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What Survivors of Major Illness can Teach us

Blog post written by Dr Jerry Thompson, author of newly released Curing the Incurable: Beyond the Limits of Medicine.

Could we have underestimated our ability to heal ourselves from even the most serious of diseases? Could our innate powers of recovery be far greater than we realise?

This book examines healing from an unusual angle: it looks at those remarkable people who have recovered against the odds? I believe they have something absolutely crucial to tell us. Whether we have a serious illness or we just want to keep illness at bay they have information that can make a profound difference.

But how did they succeed? What did they do after their doctors told them they had an incurable disease?

I have been fascinated by these people that I call “survivors” for years. This book explores their stories and what they did. Recovering from a life-threatening illness is no small feat and you can be sure they did not get better by chance. They achieved it by following certain fundamental principles of health. And it is these fundamental principles of health that this book explores.

They used four main strategies, typically in combination. The book covers each one.

Few will be surprised that one of those principles, eating healing foods and avoiding harmful ones, was a popular and successful strategy amongst survivors. Combining information from case studies, research on the effects of food extracts on cancer cells and population studies this section gives us a useful guide on using food to heal.

Many know that our minds can powerfully impact on health but can mind power cure a life-threatening illness? In fact it can and there are many examples using many methods. We can use our mind to up-regulate our immunity, to go into healing mode or to create health. The case histories in this section are some of the most extraordinary in the book. The methods may surprise you and many are simple to use.

Mainstream medicine largely ignores toxicity but survivors cannot afford this luxury. How many carcinogens and neurotoxins do we meet in an average day and where do they come from? Which are the most dangerous? How can we reduce our and how can we excrete our accumulated chemical load. All this is covered in the book.

Changes in our energy field precede disease. They also precede healing. So understanding energy makes sense.

Again the stories could surprise: cancers the power of groups to bring about extraordinary healing, how lethal cancer can be cured from thousands of miles away, cancers disintegrating in minutes, and energetic blocks to healing that could prevent a good treatment working.

What emerges from these many remarkable accounts of recovery from major disease are basic and powerful principles of health and healing. Using them can make the difference between health and disease and many of are surprisingly easy to put into practice.

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How to Survive the Stress of Caring, and Look After Your Own Health

Blog post written by author of Who Cares?, Sara Challice. Who Cares? has been shortlisted in the Non-Fiction category of The People’s Book Prize 2020/21. Click here to give it your vote.  

 

Caring for a loved one is, without a doubt, a kind and selfless act. Not only does it give another a better quality of life, it may even extend their longevity.

But whilst caring, your altruism could cost you more than your time and energy, because around 70% of carers fall either mentally or physically unwell – this included myself!

During my time out recovering, I realised I needed to make changes so as not only to survive my caring role, but also to regain my health and start enjoying life again.

So how can you overcome the stress of caring, to become more resilient and safeguard your own health?

1. Check in with yourself

As a carer, you’re often so busy being there for everyone else that you ignore your own health. And during the pandemic, this is ever more so whilst trying to talk to your GP, let alone arrange a hospital appointment – all time-consuming tasks that take even more of your precious energy and time.

You may even be suppressing your emotions, as you’re so busy tending to and protecting those around you who are almost certainly classed currently as ‘high risk’ for coronavirus. The pressure can build up, bit by bit, and go unnoticed until crisis strikes.

Do you have a good friend or family member you could check in with for a short time, once a week? This can be either face-to-face (socially distancing of course!), over the phone or via Skype. Or you could try journaling – writing down your feelings and the issues you’re experiencing. Observing what is actually happening can help lead you to making better choices for yourself, as well as for your loved ones.

2. Take a break

If you see each day as a list of chores – just doing this, just doing that – you’ll end up simply falling into bed exhausted!

Even though times are ever more challenging, you still need to have regular breaks, as well as have quality time. You’re not just here for a loved one, you are also here for you!

Try taking a short break between each chore, even if it’s 10 minutes. This will help you pace the day. You could jot down a list of things you enjoy doing during these breaks, such as reading a magazine, having a kip, or calling a good friend for a chat. You can then pick from your ‘break menu’, when you stop for a rest.

3. Focus on the good stuff

There is often a lot to deal with and carers are often in survival mode – focusing on the issues, to ensure everything and everyone is okay – but this does not make for an enjoyable life.

What are you happy and thankful for in your life? It may just be a hot shower that morning, or your comfy bed. It could be having loving and kind friends or patting your pet. If I’d had a bad day, I would climb into bed and think of five things I was grateful for that day. It always put a smile on my face and put me in a better state of mind before sleep.

Just remember to be kind to yourself and recognise all that you do. You really are amazing, being there for loved ones. Make sure you are also there for you!

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Welcome to Society by Samantha Crilly

In honour of National Poetry Day, Samantha Crilly has provided a moving poem from her debut book Hope through Poetry. Launches 10th October, available for presale now.

Welcome to Society

Hello and welcome to society, we hope you enjoy your stay

We will make it as relaxing as possible as long as you do things our way

First of all and most importantly, make sure you fix up your exterior

If you slack at any point we will soon make you feel inferior

Secondly your life will be controlled by pieces of paper,

We will count it up and decide how important you are later

Thirdly, we want you to make your time here look as perfect as possible

Even if you’re having a bad day this is not optional

Fourthly make sure you post everyday on social media

One is fine at first, but we’ll soon get needier

In fact we can guarantee we’ll be getting greedier and greedier

Oh and In terms of your meals

We tend to advertise things to make you ill

Keeps our drug company’s going if you will

Trust us the more pills you pop, the better you’ll feel ……..

Lastly, just so you know, our planet is on its way out

But it has to keep up with our needs so that’s not something we talk about

So good luck and we hope everything is clear

Oh and don’t smile too much, people will think you’re weird.

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The Return to Education: A Guide for the Student Recovering/Recovered from CFS/ME

When returning to school, college or university after suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome/ME the student should avoid both mental and physical over-exertion. On some days even the minimal mental or physical effort can be deleterious and the student has to learn to accommodate during what may be a long process of recovery.

With CFS/ME in school children much information can be found on The Tymes Trust website here.

With CFS/ME and fibromyalgia all cases are different, with students all requiring unique requirements which makes the education plan and management more difficult. The dysfunction in the hypothalamus and the disturbed autonomic nervous system affect different systems and parts of the body and mind. Often there is a problem in getting up in the morning to be in time for school or lectures due to a disturbed circadian rhythm.

The other problem with all patients is the waxing and waning nature of the illness and this has to be understood by educational establishments, with students sometimes having to take off days when their symptoms worsen even though they seemed pretty healthy. They may occasionally look healthy and attempt to fit in with the educational system and school/ university student life but are often in a much more serious state of health then they let observers believe.

Unlike some psychological illnesses, CFS/ME patients retain their motivation but struggle with post-exertion malaise. The student will often try their best to carry on but their symptoms worsen with continued attempts to over-exert themselves.

As the Tymes Trust says on their information page: ‘Most children and students with CFS/ME are able to make some progress academically if education is suitably modified. However, they may be unable to follow the usual timescales for Key Stages and examinations etc. Therefore, it is important for schools to plan for the long term.’

Home tuition and/or online lessons are often needed in severe cases, reducing the extra strain that any examinations will inevitably place on the student.

It is imperative that both in school and further/higher education the relevant teachers and lecturers know about the students health problems even if they are in the past, just so there is a level of understanding for not pushing too fast and empathy if the condition deteriorates.

Recovering patients need to pace themselves, even if they are virtually symptom free. The student requires as much extra time as possible in their course work and to be given regular rest breaks during any examinations with the maximum extension to the time period allowed when sitting for any examinations.

I always advise rest breaks and small snacks and water when they take their examinations to reduce the symptoms of dehydration and hypoglycaemia which are common in CFS/ME and FMS.

Patients well enough to live in student accommodation should try as much as possible to find the quietest and least stressful environment to live in and, even if completely recovered, should avoid too much alcohol and too many late night events etc, making sure that their fellow students understand that they are not just being party-poopers.

Other measures that usually help are the use of a rest/recovery room when needed plus the student should be given easy access to lessons or lectures such as parking spaces near to the college/university entrance, and use of elevators rather than having to traipse up and down many flights of stairs all day.

Blog post written by Raymond Perrin, author of The Perrin Technique. Discover more about the upcoming Second edition here. 

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Giardia and its Complications to Coronavirus

This week is National Hygiene Week. Susan Koten, author of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Giardia  explains how important it is to keep washing your hands or you could get giardia as well as coronavirus…

Giardia is a very common microscopic parasite that can affect the general health of the recipient in a short space of time by interfering with the whole digestive system.

This in turn gradually weakens the body and lowers the general immunity. The signs and symptoms of an infection are varied but diarrhoea and/or constipation, lethargy, bloating, nausea, headaches, and iron-deficient anaemia are but a few of these markers.

This makes those infected very vulnerable for other pathogens to invade the body and respiratory diseases are no exception.

In my book Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Giardia, I mention that the key herb for treating this parasite is Artemesia annua, (Qing hao) (sweet wormwood), a Chinese herb which in ancient times was used to treat fever, and has been used for centuries in the treatment of malaria. Not only is it effective but it has shown few adverse reactions in toxicology studies in long term use.

Covid-19 patients were reported to have a very high iron content in their cells[1]. The Artemesia annua-derivative, artemisinin, takes advantage of the fact that infected cells accumulate iron in large amounts – artemesinin is sequestered in cells where iron is high and this releases two oxygen molecules forming free radicals which kill the cell, leaving normal cells intact.

Cancer cells also have a high dependency on iron for growth and accumulate large amounts of iron. Artemisinin is used in the treatment of all cancers[2] and it has the effect of destroying cancer cells leaving normal cells untouched.

An infection of Giardia can create iron-deficient anaemia; by treating it with sweet wormwood, as described in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Giardia, the patient’s health can return back to normal.

Iron appears to be a very important element to consider in any inflammatory condition and looking at the way sweet wormwood is attracted to these sites of excessive iron and destroys them this herb is definitely one to review.

 

[1] Cavezzi A, Troiani E, Corrao S. COVID-19: hemoglobin, iron, and hypoxia beyond inflammation. A narrative review. Clin Pract 2020; 10(2): 1271.  doi: 10.4081/cp.2020.1271

[2] Zhang Y, Xu G, Zhang S, Wang D, Prabha PS, Zuo Z. Antitumor Research on Artemisinin and Its Bioactive Derivatives. Nat Prod Bioprospect 2018; 8(4): 303–319. doi: 10.1007/s13659-018-0162-1